Shota Sometani is a Japanese actor born on September 3, 1992, in Tokyo, who began his career as a child actor in 2001. While he is primarily known for his extensive work in live-action film and television, he has also contributed his voice to several notable animated projects. His early leading role in the 2009 film Pandora's Box marked a significant step in his career, and he gained international recognition for his performance in the 2011 film Himizu, for which he received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor at the Venice Film Festival.

In the realm of voice acting, Sometani has taken on roles in high-profile anime films. He voiced the character Tanabe in the 2012 film Wolf Children and provided the voice for the teenaged version of the character Kyuta in the 2015 film The Boy and the Beast, both directed by Mamoru Hosoda. He continued his association with Hosoda's work by voicing the character Shinjiro "Kamishin" Chikami, a friend of the protagonist, in the 2021 animated musical fantasy film Belle. He also voiced Minoru Okabe, a friend of the protagonist's aunt, in Makoto Shinkai's 2022 animated fantasy adventure film Suzume.

His achievements as an actor have been recognized with several awards. Beyond his early win at the Venice Film Festival, he was named a Newcomer of the Year at both the 36th Japan Academy Film Prize and the 37th Elan d'or Awards in 2013.